Food for Thought: EU Climate Change Policy Presents New Challenges for Agriculture 
Éléments de réflexion : La politique européenne en matière de changement climatique offre de nouveaux défis à l’agriculture 
Denkanstoß: Die EU‐Politik zum Klimawandel stellt die Landwirtschaft vor neue Herausforderungen

summary Food for Thought: EU Climate Change Policy Presents New Challenges for Agriculture In an effort to curb mankind’s impact on the global climate, the EU has proposed a reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of 20 per cent by 2020 relative to the 1990 levels. The required reduction in GHG emissions in the non‐Emissions Trading Sector, which includes agriculture, varies by Member States (MS) with Ireland, Denmark and Luxembourg given the largest reduction target of 20 per cent relative to their 2005 levels. For some EU MS, such as Ireland, agriculture represents a significant source of national GHG emissions and achieving the reduction targets could potentially have a significant impact on the agriculture sector in these MS. Various policy‐based abatement strategies can be applied to reduce the cost of GHG emissions abatement. This article discusses some of the main merits and demerits of these strategies. Tradable Emissions Permits, which are currently being used to reduce the emissions from the EU energy and heavy industry sectors, are one such strategy and are examined in more detail in the context of reducing GHG emissions from agriculture. A number of potential obstacles to the successful implementation of a scheme of tradable emissions permits for Irish or EU agriculture are discussed in greater detail.